After the success of the first two BBC Panorama documentaries highlighting the dangers of Seroxat (Part 1, Part 2), investigative reporter/journalist, Shelley Jofre, turned the spotlight on to the people that are supposed to protect the British public from unsafe drugs, namely, the MHRA.
This third installment, Taken on Trust, highlights the total incompetence of the British drug regulator. They had previously declined to be interviewed for the first two Seroxat documentaries - judging by the performance of MHRA spokesperson, Alasdair Breckenridge (above), they are probably glad that they did. Breckenridge, incidentally, was GlaxoSmithKline's Scientific Adviser and former head of the MHRA. At the time of Taken on Trust, Breckenridge was merely steering the ship and waiting for the appointment of Kent Woods to take over as CEO of the MHRA.
I met with Woods in 2008. Ideas were discussed... then locked away. That meeting is featured in my book, The evidence, however, is clear, the Seroxat scandal (Amazon)
This third installment is groundbreaking and is a must-watch. It's embarrassing for the MHRA too.
To date, the MHRA, whose current CEO, Ian Hudson, is former World Safety Officer for GlaxoSmithKline, have sat back and shrugged their shoulders at complaints from patients who have struggled to come off Seroxat. They have offered no solution to patients being addicted to Seroxat, in fact the only solution they seem to offer is the bog-standard line that Seroxat isn't addictive and cannot cause suicide in adults, ironically it's a line used by GlaxoSmithKline too.
The MHRA are funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Make of that what you will.
Here's Taken On Trust.
Bob Fiddaman.
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